Minute 1: Ironman 40.0
Some of the fittest athletes on the planet will compete in the 40th annual Ironman World Championship Saturday. The first race field included 15 participants. 12 of them finished. To commemorate the event, Ironman put together a video that captures the rough and wild roots of the race. No one knew if the three events could actually be finished in one day. “Brag for the rest of your life” was listed on the entry form as a reason to endure the pain and risk. 40 years later, some things haven’t changed. As for this year’s edition, we have our eyes on first year Kona participant Javier Gomez and 3-time defending women’s champ Daniela Ryf. Beginning at 12:30 pm EDT Saturday, you can check out the action live on Facebook at this link.
#hotlava
Minute 2: Nike’s most unlikely endorsed athlete
Nike spending more money promoting the running program at the University of Oregon is not news. Nike sponsoring an Oregon distance runner who can’t break 2 hours in a half marathon is news. Justin Gallegos is the unlikely hero of a new Nike ad campaign. He was born with Cerebral Palsy, but has a passion for sports and running that rivals anyone we know. The video below shows the moment when a Nike rep totally surprises Justin with his endorsement contract. (I’m not crying, you’re crying. I just have something in my eye. It’s fine.)
#MakingPreProud
Minute 3: 70,000 folks fell for this running spoof
Are acorns on the sidewalk tripping you up on your autumn runs? Did you know that the word “gullible” is not in the dictionary? If you answered “um…no” to both questions, then you probably didn’t fall for the nerdy hoax that lit up running circles in Minneapolis this week. A prankster posing as a barefoot runner complained online that neighbors should be more considerate of shoeless runners and sweep acorns off their sidewalks. 70,000+ earnest Midwesterners took him way too seriously and the post went viral. Kudos to Buzzfeed for cracking this caper and highlighting the copycat criminals ranting about unicyclists not taking their craft seriously enough. While the story is a little (a)corny, the memes it spawned got us laughing out loud.
#giantoak
Minute 4: How to tell the difference between pain and injury
What was that? My Achilles/hamstrings/shins feel a little tweaked all of a sudden. Should I bail on my run and summon an Uber or suck it up and ice later? Trail Runner Magazine published a very helpful and practical guide to 10 common running pains. Preview: Top of the foot pain = very bad. Bottom of the foot pain = keep going.
#healthyself
Minute 5: Quick takes
- We are impressed with Garmin’s new release of a rugged GPS watch meant for endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers. In addition to top features on your lust list, the watch also bucks the ugly trend of silly prices for GPS watches. The Garmin Instinct comes in under $300 – less than half the price of Garmin’s priciest model.
- Two new studies are reversing the current medical wisdom of proper levels of exercise for pregnant women. Most doctors had recommended about 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise like brisk walking. But the new studies show that athletes pursuing elite marathon training or even lugging heavy loads to Everest base camp on average have healthier deliveries than women following the old standards. The New York Times account of the studies is here.
Minute 6: Daily Inspiration
Thanks to one of our readers, we learned about one of the most inspiring stories out of Kona this week. Glenn Hartrick is the only man in history to finish the New York City Marathon on two feet, on a hand cycle and in a wheelchair. Glenn was an accomplished runner and triathlete when a negligent driver knocked Glenn off his bike on a training ride in 2014, paralyzing him from the chest down. Less than a year later, he finished his first half marathon on a handcycle. Tomorrow Glenn will make his debut in the Ironman World Championships. We dare you to watch his uplifting video below and ever complain again. About anything.
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